Leading Australian law firm Slater & Gordon is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the Greater Western Sydney GIANTS Academy.
Throughout the 2012 AFL season the Academy will be known as the Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy.
The Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy will nurture young talent aged between 14 and 18 years across NSW, ACT and the NT, as well as actively develop the skills that could see young players recruited in the AFL draft in years to come.
GWS GIANTS Head Coach Kevin Sheedy applauded Slater & Gordon for its commitment to this important partnership.
“The Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy is a great opportunity to develop young, home grown talent from New South Wales, the ACT and Northern Territory and it would be wonderful to think that in a few years from now some of these young players will pull on a GIANTS jumper,” said Sheedy.
Slater & Gordon, General Manager, Hayden Stephens said that Slater & Gordon was proud to be a Platinum Partner of the GWS GIANTS Academy and the firm was committed to engaging positively with local communities.
“We are extremely proud to support the Academy throughout the GWS GIANTS inaugural year,” Mr Stephens said.
“Slater & Gordon has a proud history of delivering affordable legal advice and access to justice for everyday Australians.
“Similarly, we are pleased to get behind an academy like this, which will give specialist support to a group of young footballers who may not otherwise have had the opportunity to excel on and off the footy ground.
”Slater & Gordon has 18 offices throughout New South Wales, and we are confident that the GIANTS academy will benefit entire communities across the Western suburbs of Sydney, regional NSW and the ACT.”
Michael Cousens, Western Sydney Academy Coach said that like the GWS GIANTS, the Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy was looking forward to expanding the program to developing not only footy skills for young players, but also supporting positive all round development of these young people.
“This program looks broadly at what skills young people need to develop strong, positive careers. This includes nutrition and fitness, addressing risk taking behaviour and the importance of education. We believe these things are all vital and that football is a great vehicle to teach these life skills. At its core, Slater & Gordon share the same vision for this region as the academy and we are looking forward to working together with them.”
According to Lachlan Buszard, GWS GIANTS Academy Manager, a collaborative partnership with Slater & Gordon who have a strong presence across Greater Western Sydney will be fundamental to the success and the long term sustainability of the football club.
“It’s great to be working with Slater & Gordon who is represented so heavily across not only greater Western Sydney but also regional NSW,” Mr Buszard said.
“This partnership represents our ongoing commitment to work with Australian businesses to provide a holistic approach to player development from Broken Hill to Canberra.”